About this Book

Brain Cancer in Childhood

In Luke Allnutt's novel, We Own the Sky, five-year-old Jack Coates is diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumor.

According to the American Cancer Society, brain tumors are "masses of abnormal cells in the brain or spinal cord that have grown out of control." The American Brain Tumor Association estimates that 4,600 children and adolescents are diagnosed with the disease each year. They cite a 2016 study that found cancer of the brain is the most common kind occurring in those younger than 15 and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in that age group. Even benign brain masses can grow and kill off tissue, impacting an individual's ability to function.

Although about 75% of children with brain cancer survive more than five years after diagnosis, the outlook can vary a great deal based on factors such as the type of cancer and where in the brain it's located. Survival rates per cancer type based on a large number of cases are well documented, but each child's case is different...

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